Wes Anderson is the writer/director of four films:
"Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums"
and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." On the surface,
his movies are known for their quirky humor, but his
characters always have surprising depth. He’s considered
one of the most talented directors in the business,
and is also one of the very best at utilizing music
in his films. While most directors will use songs as
placeholders during filming, hoping to get the rights
by the time they wrap, Anderson pre-approves all of
his music, so that his actors know exactly which songs
will be used in each scene. Many directors have used
music with good results in film – just check out our
list of the Top 40 Music Moments
in Film History – but Anderson has an uncanny knack of taking obscure
songs and using them to punctuate important moments
in his films. As a result, each song takes on a completely
new meaning within the world of Wes Anderson.

The following is a comprehensive (but by no
means complete) summary of the music in Anderson’s
films, split into two parts. IMDB.com provides
a detailed list of all of the songs used in each
movie – Bottle
Rocket, Rushmore, The
Royal Tenenbaums and The
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – but the
following list, Disc One, covers some the biggest
moments his in first three films. Part
Two will follow shortly.
All songs can be found on the movie’s soundtrack
unless otherwise indicated.

Also, be sure to check out our Wes
Anderson entertainer page,
which contains a description of each of his
movies as well as other interesting facts
about his career.

"Zorro is Back," Oliver Onions
This up-tempo song plays during a montage after
the three friends – Dignan (Owen Wilson), Anthony
(Luke Wilson) and Bob (Robert Musgrave) – rob a
bookstore. Even though they’re supposed to be on
the lam, they stop at a fireworks stand and Dignan
proceeds to shoot bottle rockets out the car window.
Oliver Onions is the pseudonym for Guido and Maurizio
de Angelis, Italian musicians who have done a good
bit of soundtrack work. The song provides a feeling
of freedom, and the montage shows Dignan’s childlike
optimism, regardless of the circumstances.

"Alone Again Or," Love (Forever
Changes)This song plays during the sequence where Anthony
runs from the diner back to the hotel where he
(sort of) proclaims his love for one of the maids,
Inez (Lumi Cavazos). The two fall in love even
though they don’t speak the same language. The
song features a Latin horn solo, which ties in
the cross-cultural affair.

"Over and Done With," The ProclaimersThis track plays as Dignan steals a car so that
he and Anthony can head back to town. The car breaks
down and Dignan goes into a hilarious rant: "What
a lemon! I don’t know, one minute it’s running
like a top, the next minute it’s broken down on
the side of the road. And I can’t fix a car like
this because I don’t have the tools to do it, man.
And even if I had the tools, I can’t promise you
that I’d know how to fix a car like that." The
Proclaimers are mainly known for their megahit,
"I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)," but "Over and Done
With" underlines the end of Anthony’s affair with
Inez.

"2000 Man," The Rolling Stones (Their
Satanic Majesties Request)The Rolling Stones will allow their songs to be
used in a film but, with the exception of 2002’s
"Moonlight Mile," they won’t let them appear on
a movie’s soundtrack. "2000 Man" plays during the
final heist sequence. Mr. Henry (James Caan) is
robbing Bob’s house while the three friends are
attempting to rob a factory. Once the alarm sounds,
Dignan sacrifices himself to save his friends and
ends up in the clink.

"Making Time," The CreationThis track plays during a montage that introduces
of all of Max’s (Jason Schwartzman) extracurricular
activities, including the Calligraphy Club, the
Fencing Team, the Bombardment (Dodgeball) Society,
the Rushmore Beekeepers and the Max Fischer Players.
Originally, the song didn’t do well in the US,
but it’s a great example of the British mod sound,
and holds its own alongside the best of the Who
and the Kinks.

"Nothin’ in This World Can Stop Me Worrin’
‘Bout That Girl," The KinksSpeaking of the Kinks, this beautiful acoustic
track plays while a lethargic Herman (Bill Murray)
throws golf balls into the pool at his twin sons’
birthday party. Depressed over his wife’s infidelity,
he climbs the diving board (in his weathered Budweiser
swim trunks), and as everyone looks on, he does
a cannonball into the pool. The song continues
for a moment as he stays underwater, creating a
shot reminiscent of a similar scene in "The Graduate."

"Here Comes My Baby," Cat StevensAfter Max gets kicked out of Rushmore for going
forward with the construction of an unapproved
aquarium, this song’s lovely melody plays during
a montage as Max makes "a go of it" at Grover Cleveland
High School. It ends symbolically, just as Max
casts schoolmate (and future girlfriend) Margaret
Yang (Sara Tanaka) in his new play.

"A Quick One While He’s Away," The WhoRock’s first mini-opera spans almost nine minutes,
but Anderson just uses the last four during the
war montage between Max and Herman. After Max finds
out about Herman and Miss Cross (Olivia Williams),
he lets bees loose in Herman’s hotel room. Herman
then retaliates by driving over Max’s bike. Max
escalates the feud when he cuts the brake line
on Herman’s car. The song hits its crescendo as
Herman narrowly avoids an accident at Rushmore
and Max gets arrested for his dastardly act.

"I Am Waiting," The Rolling Stones (Aftermath)Max and Herman call a truce and meet in the cemetery.
As Max leaves, Herman says, "She’s my Rushmore."
Max replies, "Yeah I know. She was mine too." This
track punctuates that line and leads into a depression
montage where Max gets a job at his father’s barbershop.
In fact, all of the main characters are pretty
miserable.

"The Wind," Cat StevensWhile
Max flies a kite with his friend, Dirk Calloway
(Mason Gamble), he runs into Margaret, and realizes
that she is truly a kindred spirit. (She faked
the results of her science project, so she’s a
misfit too!) This beautiful track starts up immediately
after this meeting and Max finally emerges from
his depression. It continues as Max reaches out
to an even more miserable Herman.

"Oh Yoko!," John LennonThis delightful song plays during a montage where
Max and Herman hatch a plan to finally build the
aquarium for Miss Cross. Max is past his crush
and he starts writing another play.

"Ooh La La," FacesThere is no song with more intrinsic nostalgia
than "Ooh La La," which plays at the wrap party
after the premiere of Max’s hit play. He successfully
gets Herman back in Miss Cross’ good graces and
Margaret announces that she is his girl. Ron Wood’s
sing-a-long chorus – " I wish that I knew what
I know now when I was younger " – provides
a perfect ending to an almost perfect movie.

"Hey Jude," The Mutato Muzika OrchestraThis instrumental plays in the background as Alec
Baldwin provides the Tenenbaum back story with
a terrific voiceover. The song stays pretty faithful
to the Beatles’ original, and hits a crescendo
just as young Richie releases his falcon, Mordecai,
into the sky. The Mutato Muzika Orchestra is part
of the production company founded by Mark Mothersbaugh,
a former member of Devo who has scored all of Anderson’s
films.

"Look at Me," John LennonThis poignant song plays as Chas (Ben Stiller)
moves back into the Tenenbaum house with his two
sons. He’s still reeling from the death of his
wife and John Lennon’s lyrics paint a bleak picture
of his state of mind.

"These Days," NicoNico’s distinct vocals and the song’s lovely melody
provide the background as Margo (Gwyneth Paltrow)
gets off the Green Line bus to pick up her brother.
The scene is shot in slow motion to magnify its
importance. Richie (Luke Wilson) is in love with
(the adopted) Margo, and this is the first time
he’s seen her in a long, long while. Surprisingly,
the song was written by Jackson Browne.

That wraps up Part One, but there is still a lot
more music to cover. Check back next week for
Part Two.